Versace murdered in Cunanan killing spree - Jul 15, 1997 - HISTORY.com Versace murdered in Cunanan killing spree Share this: Versace murdered in Cunanan killing spree Author Versace murdered in Cunanan killing spree URL Publisher A+E Networks Spree killer Andrew Cunanan murders world-renowned Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace on the steps outside his Miami mansion. Versace was shot twice in the head, and Cunanan fled. Andrew Cunanan had no criminal record before the spring of 1997, when he began a killing spree in Minneapolis. On April 27, 1997, after traveling from San Diego, Cunanan bludgeoned Jeffrey Trail to death. Trail was an acquaintance of David Madson, an ex-lover of Cunanan’s whom Cunanan in turn murdered on May 3. Cunanan shot Madson in the head, dumped his body near a lake outside Minneapolis, and took his red Jeep Cherokee. Two days later, in Chicago, he gained access to the estate of wealthy developer Lee Miglin, beat him to death, and stole his Lexus.

On May 9, Cunanan abandoned Miglin’s automobile in Pennsville, New Jersey, and shot cemetery caretaker William Reese to death for his red pickup truck. With a massive FBI manhunt for Cunanan already underway, he drove down to Miami Beach and on July 11 was recognized by a fast-food employee who had seen his picture on the television show America’s Most Wanted. However, the police arrived too late, and four days later Cunanan shot Versace to death outside his South Beach mansion. Although Cunanan and Versace were both openly gay and ran in similar circles, the police failed to find evidence that they had ever met. Versace’s killing set off a nationwide manhunt for Cunanan, who was famous for his chameleon-like ability to appear differently in every picture taken of him. However, on July 23, the search ended just 40 blocks away from Versace’s home on a two-level houseboat that Cunanan had broken into. There, police found him dead from a self-inflicted bullet wound from the same gun that took the lives of two of his victims. He left no suicide note.

Related Videos July 15, 1997 : Versace murdered in Cunanan killing spree Introduction Spree killer Andrew Cunanan murders world-renowned Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace on the steps outside his Miami mansion. Versace was shot twice in the head, and Cunanan fled. Andrew Cunanan had no criminal record before the spring of 1997, when he began a killing spree in Minneapolis. On April 27, 1997, after traveling from San Diego, Cunanan bludgeoned Jeffrey Trail to death. Trail was an acquaintance of David Madson, an ex-lover of Cunanan’s whom Cunanan in turn murdered on May 3. Cunanan shot Madson in the head, dumped his body near a lake outside Minneapolis, and took his red Jeep Cherokee. Two days later, in Chicago, he gained access to the estate of wealthy developer Lee Miglin, beat him to death, and stole his Lexus. On May 9, Cunanan abandoned Miglin’s automobile in Pennsville, New Jersey, and shot cemetery caretaker William Reese to death for his red pickup truck.

With a massive FBI manhunt for Cunanan already underway, he drove down to Miami Beach and on July 11 was recognized by a fast-food employee who had seen his picture on the television show America’s Most Wanted. However, the police arrived too late, and four days later Cunanan shot Versace to death outside his South Beach mansion. Although Cunanan and Versace were both openly gay and ran in similar circles, the police failed to find evidence that they had ever met. Versace’s killing set off a nationwide manhunt for Cunanan, who was famous for his chameleon-like ability to appear differently in every picture taken of him. However, on July 23, the search ended just 40 blocks away from Versace’s home on a two-level houseboat that Cunanan had broken into. There, police found him dead from a self-inflicted bullet wound from the same gun that took the lives of two of his victims. He left no suicide note.

Article Details: July 15, 1997 : Versace murdered in Cunanan killing spree Author July 15, 1997 : Versace murdered in Cunanan killing spree URL Andrew Cunanan - Biography - IMDb Andrew Cunanan Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Trivia (5) Overview (4) 5' 9½" (1.77 m) Mini Bio (1) Andrew Cunanan was the youngest of four children in a prosperous but unhappy family in the San Diego, California, area. His status-conscious father was a former Naval officer and stockbroker and his naive, religious mother was a homemaker. His parents marriage was showing strains when Cunanan was born, with his father repeatedly accusing his mother of infidelity, in spite of the fact that there was no evidence to support that claim, and occasionally hit her. He even claimed that his oldest daughter wasn't his child. His mother was traumatized by this treatment, and for a while had to be treated for depression during Andrew's formative years.

His father had to take the lead in raising him, and he was stern and quick with the strap, though not to the point of being abusive. In response, Andrew spent a lot of time alone in his room and often told his friends fantasy stories about his family and life. He was a highly intelligent child who could recite Bible verses and read from encyclopedias at an early age, and a good-looking and talkative boy who could converse with adults more easily than most children. In school, he was a high achiever academically and was always carefully dressed and well-groomed. As a result, he was more popular with teachers than his fellow classmates, that spread rumors about him. In response to these developments, his parents enrolled him into the exclusive Bishop's School when he became a teenager. While in that high school, he became lovers with a wealthy married man for a while, who bought him expensive gifts until the relationship ended. He enjoyed being a kept boy, but kept it from his parents, who were completely unaware of his secret life. Upon graduating, he entered college to please his parents, but devoted all his time to his social life. Meanwhile, his parents' lives fell apart.

His father was accused of embezzling from his firm and fled to his native Phillipines to escape and avoid prosecution. His mother was forced to move into a small apartment on another side of town. Andrew briefly lived with his father, but quickly returned to the States and had no further contact with him. He immediately returned to being a companion for wealthy, closeted men, some of them married, and his looks, intelligence, and conversational skills made him very popular. He lived a life of luxury, accompanied with endless parties and anonymous sex, but close friends noticed he had dark moods and occasional fits of anger. Gradually, he began to use drugs and, as he reached his mid-twenties, he began to lose his attractiveness. One day, he suddenly left for Minneapolis to visit Jeffrey Trail and David Madson, with whom he he had brief relationships. Exactly what happened is unknown, but it ended with Cunanan murdering them. While on the run, he committed two more murders and was on the FBI's Most Wanted List. He hid out in Miami, and began stalking designer Gianni Versace , whom he had met at a party in San Fransisco several years earlier.

On Tuesday, July 15th, 1997, Cunanan shot Versace to death and escaped, making headlines all around the globe. Cunanan evaded detection for eight days until his body was discovered and cornered on a vacant houseboat. Realizing he was nearly caught, Cunanan shot himself to death. He was 27. - IMDb Mini Biography By: anonymous Trivia (5) His father, Modesto Cunanan, was an immigrant from the Phillipines. His mother, Mary Anne Shilacci, is of Italian decent. Had an IQ of 147. Once worked at a Thrifty store on Rancho Bernardo Road in Rancho Bernardo, a suburb of San Diego, California. Committed suicide after murdering fashion designer Gianni Versace . Upon his death, his remains were interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in San Diego, California. His location plot is Rosary Chapel-6 up-niche area. See also CNN - Cunanan: more questions than answers - July 25, 1997 Cunanan: more questions than answers July 25, 1997 Web posted at: 11:30 a.m.

EDT (1530 GMT) MIAMI BEACH, Florida (CNN) -- The death of Andrew Cunanan leaves many questions unanswered, and authorities are looking for more evidence that the 27-year-old San Diego native was the person who killed five people, including fashion designer Gianni Versace. Earlier this week, the suspect took his own life by putting a gun in his mouth and pulling the trigger in a Miami Beach houseboat. Nine days after Versace's murder, after one of the most intense manhunts in the nation's history, authorities had Cunanan's body. What they lacked were answers. Why did Cunanan begin a cross-country killing spree last April? Some victims were specifically targeted for revenge and others were opportunity killings. Police have said they do not know why Versace was killed. "I don't know that we are ever going to know the answers," Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Barreto said Thursday on CNN's "Larry King Live." A L S O : Cunanan tip-off hero wants reward; police waver Did Cunanan have AIDS?

There have been reports that Cunanan -- described by his own mother as "high-class" male prostitute -- may have become angered by finding out he had AIDS. The medical examiner's office in Dade County, Florida plans to test the corpse for the AIDS virus. "That's the normal procedure," said investigation supervisor Gwen Shorter. According to KGTV in San Diego, Cunanan owed hundreds of dollars to the Palomar Medical Center, where he had gone in 1995 to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases. He tested negative for a number of diseases, but it wasn't clear whether he was tested for HIV, the station said. Why did Cunanan kill himself? Investigators said he was simply trapped and experts on serial killers theorized he may have finished what he set out to do. Did Cunanan leave a suicide note? Police said they did not find one. Was the gun Cunanan used to kill himself the same one used in the other killings? Yes. The .40-caliber pistol was the same gun used in the ambush-killing of Versace and two of Cunanan's other alleged victims, law enforcement sources told CNN. What was in the small safe found near Cunanan's body?

Authorities have not revealed that information. But FBI agent Keith Evans said the safe "may contain more evidence related to the five homicides." Police took it away, along with an address book and financial records. What was Cunanan's relationship with the houseboat owner? That's not clear. Fugitive German businessman Torsten Reineck was questioned by the FBI in Las Vegas, where Reineck owns a gay health spa. Authorities said he was being cooperative. Reineck is wanted in Germany on fraud charges but has not been charged with any crime in the United States relating to the Cunanan case. Did he break into the houseboat or did he have a key? Police said they found no signs of forced entry to the houseboat and caretaker Fernando Carreira found one of the door's two locks unfastened. Will the houseboat caretaker who tipped police get the reward money? That hasn't been decided. Police got a break Wednesday afternoon when Carreira dropped by to check on the home along the Intracoastal Waterway. Going inside, he saw slippers and a pillow, then heard a gunshot. Carreira ran off and got his son to call police. "I heard a boom and ran like hell.

I thought the shot was for me," Carreira told CNN affiliate WSVN-TV in Miami on Thursday night. "I thought it was some bum; I didn't know who it was." He said he thought he deserved the $45,000 reward for information leading to Cunanan's arrest. Barreto, however, said the tip-off had never mentioned Cunanan and that he was not sure Carreira qualified. Various rewards were offered for "information leading to the apprehension of Cunanan." Where was Cunanan hiding after the Versace killing? Residents in the area of the houseboat -- 2 1/2 miles north of Versace's home -- said they may have seen Cunanan roaming the neighborhood afterward. Carreira said he believed Cunanan had not been in the boathouse for more than three or four days before he was cornered. Carreira said he checked the dwelling on Saturday and found everything in order. Did Cunanan contact anyone?

William Esposito, deputy director of the FBI, said in Washington on Thursday that a nervous, agitated Cunanan contacted "an associate" within 48 hours of the Versace killing, trying to obtain a false passport so he could flee the United States. Was Cunanan in any other trouble? Cunanan was thousands of dollars behind in credit card payments and was $46,000 in debt by May, KGTV reported. Where will Cunanan be buried? Near his mother's home in National City, California, a family friend told The Union Tribune of San Diego. Mary Ann Cunanan was in seclusion. What was Cunanan's relationship with Gianni Versace? Unclear, but the two are reported to have met socially. Why did it take several hours to positively identify the body as Cunanan? Even after the body was found, hours passed as investigators struggled to identify the body because the face was largely blown off. Fingerprints confirmed it was Cunanan. How did the red pickup truck stolen from a New Jersey victim go unnoticed in a Miami Beach garage for weeks? "That's a good question," Esposito said.

CNN - Cunanan died in another fugitive's houseboat - July 24, 1997 Cunanan died in another fugitive's houseboat Suspected killer shot himself, police say July 24, 1997 Web posted at: 2:48 p.m. EDT (1848 GMT) Latest developments: Related stories and sites MIAMI BEACH, Florida (CNN) -- With the death of Andrew Cunanan confirmed on Thursday, the mystery of "Where is he?" became "How did he get there?" The presumed killer of fashion designer Gianni Versace and four other men killed himself with a gunshot to the face, authorities said. The body was found on Wednesday night in a Miami Beach houseboat, moored 2 1/2 miles from where the Versace was gunned down last week. The houseboat is owned by a man wanted on fraud charges in his native Germany.

Versace's family released a brief statement Thursday expressing "both gratitude and sorrow in thanking those who have contributed to resolving the horrible assassination of Gianni." Cunanan, a 27-year-old San Diego native, was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list and had eluded a nationwide manhunt for nearly three months. On Thursday, Cunanan's picture on the FBI Web site had a red diagonal slash through it. On it were the words, "Found Dead." In a statement Thursday, Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI Director Louis Freeh thanked the public for its help in the manhunt. They said Cunanan's death "brings to an end a vicious crime spree." Thumbprint confirms identity "The reign of terror brought upon us by Andrew Cunanan is over," Miami Beach Police Chief Richard Barreto told reporters Thursday in an early morning news briefing. ( 148 K / 14 sec. AIFF or WAV sound) He said the thumbprint of the man found dead after a four-hour siege by police matched that of Cunanan, adding that police had not used their weapons when they stormed the boat.

A gun "very similar" to the .40-caliber pistol linked by the FBI to three of Cunanan's alleged murders was found at the scene, he added. Further details would be revealed later Thursday, Barreto said. 'Difficult for him to move about' Versace was shot and killed July 15 at the gate of his oceanfront mansion in the trendy art deco South Beach area of Miami Beach, 40 blocks south of the houseboat's mooring. Cunanan did not travel far after that, Barreto indicated. "There was an unprecedented level of pressure put on this man by law enforcement, by media exposure (and) by the general public looking for him," he said. "I think he was a desperate person. He was in a situation where it was very, very difficult for him to move about." The houseboat -- which sits on a branch of the Intracoastal Waterway called Indian Creek -- is about a mile from the hotel where a man fitting Cunanan's description stayed for as long as two months before Versace was killed.

Conflicting accounts of when body found More than 100 police and FBI agents surrounded the floating, two-story home Wednesday night after its caretaker reported hearing a gunshot when he approached the site about 3:45 p.m. EDT on Wednesday. Four hours later, officers fired tear gas and six SWAT team members dressed in black flak jackets and armed with rifles and a shield moved in. There were conflicting reports Thursday about when exactly the body was found. Slideshow of scenes from the incident Sequence of events of Cunanan's last day as described by the Chief of Police. QuickTime slideshow 413 K / 47 sec. / 240x180 pixels Initial statements from law enforcement officials indicated that Cunanan's body was not found until a third inspection of the boat. Barreto said the tear gas made the initial search more difficult. But on CNN's "Burden of Proof" Thursday afternoon, a Miami Beach police sergeant challenged that account, saying the body was found just minutes into the search. "The SRT (special response team) from Metro-Dade police department found the body within two minutes of entering the houseboat," insisted Miami Beach police Sergeant Howard Zeifman.

There was no immediate explanation for the conflicting accounts. According to an unconfirmed report, investigators suspect the shot that the caretaker heard was the suicide shot. Houseboat owner wanted in Germany Records showed the houseboat , which had been vacant for several months, is owned by Torsten Reineck, who has lived both in Germany and the United States and owns the Apollo Spa, a gay health spa in Las Vegas. Reineck has been wanted by German authorities since 1992 for suspected tax evasion and fraud. It is not clear if he knew Cunanan. Map of Cunanan's trail through the U.S. In addition to the Versace killing, Cunanan also was wanted for the murders of his former lover Jeffrey Trail, 28, in late April; their mutual friend David Madson, 33, in May; Lee Miglin, 72, also in May; and William Reese, 45, also in May. Cunanan had eluded an intensive nationwide search that generated hundreds of claimed sightings all over the country. He managed to escape capture even though his picture was plastered on television, newspapers, the Internet and wanted posters.

Correspondents Robert Vito and Brian Jenkins contributed to this report. Newsmaker Profile: Andrew Phillip Cunanan - Murder Suspect Related stories: The Murder of Gianni Versace: July 15, 1997 (VIDEO) - Biography.com Crime & Scandal The Murder of Gianni Versace: July 15, 1997 (VIDEO) On this day in 1997, Italian designer Gianni Versace was murdered on the steps of his home by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. Avatar: Social count: 112 On this day in 1997, Italian designer Gianni Versace was murdered on the steps of his home by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. 112 0 Gianni Versace (Wikipedia) On July 15, 1997, Andrew Cunanan shot Gianni Versace twice in the head killing him on the steps of the designer's South Beach mansion. Cunanan fled the scene and was found days later, dead from a self-inflicted gun shot wound.

Gianni Versace - Mini Bio (TV-14; 2:59) Gianni Versace was an Italian designer bred to design for the sizzling Miami Nightlife. On July 15th, 1997, Gianni Versace was murdered on the steps of his home by spree killer Andrew Cunanan. Gianni Versace left behind a global fashion empire and an indelible legacy that still lives on today. His glamorous creations were donned by the likes of Princess Diana and pop stars like Madonna , Tina Turner , and Elton John — many of whom attended several memorial services that were held in his honor. Tags Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History – EW.com Nonfiction, True Crime, Politics and Current Events We gave it a B On Tuesday, July 15, 1997, at approximately 8:40 a.m., Gianni Versace was shot on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion. The first bullet shattered the base of his brain; the second entered the right side of his face near the nose.

As the Italian designer lay dying, witnesses observed the shooter, a man soon confirmed to be ”gay serial killer” Andrew Cunanan, walk unmolested into the bright Florida daylight. Nine days later, Cunanan committed suicide in a houseboat, surrounded by SWAT teams and up to his neck in glossy magazines. Thus ended the final chapter in what was briefly — until the Aug. 31 death of Princess Diana (a Versace funeral attendee) — America’s No. 1 tabloid story, a tawdry interstate killing spree involving celebrity, drugs, money, and sexual exploits of the kind generally referred to as ”rough trade.” The entire NC-17-rated package has now been chronicled in Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History, a 439-page opus from Vanity Fair correspondent Maureen Orth. Shortly after America’s Most Wanted picked up the serial-killer scent, Orth became the ranking Cunanan expert: She’d tracked him since the May ’97 murder of New Jersey cemetery caretaker William Reese, which helped land Cunanan on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.

By the time Versace’s murder elevated him to the serial-killer hall of fame, Orth had interviewed so many of his friends and family that Cunanan himself called her for a chat (he hung up when her husband answered). After all, Vanity Fair was Cunanan’s favorite magazine. More than anything, this killer coveted the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Like any writer with such a head start, Orth had plenty of time to do her homework. Vulgar Favors is ripe with chilling detail and a sleazy supporting cast; it paints a disturbing picture of law enforcement hobbled by jurisdictional warfare and post-O.J. paralysis. But Orth’s narrative faces one frustrating problem: Unlike true-crime masterpieces such as The Executioner’s Song or In Cold Blood, her central character can’t speak for himself (perversely, we favor serial killers when they explain themselves in cool lucid tones). Orth has the difficult task of hanging her book on the back of a phantom. Instead, she relies on exhaustive, if exhausting, reportage in the interest of turning Cunanan into a sort of psychopathic Gatsby, an American Everyman driven to kill by a homicidal lust for fame.

But unfortunately, he seems more like random evil. So who was Andrew Cunanan? We do know he grew up in a Catholic household in San Diego, the child of a possessive Italian mother and a social-climbing Filipino father. ”I am a fanatical reader,” he wrote in a student questionnaire. ”I also enjoy chess, clothes, Mercedes, and running.” By age 14, he was officially ”out.” In his 20s, Cunanan descended into a seamy world straight out of Cruising, dabbling in hardcore kink and violent porn. Much of Orth’s information comes from Cunanan associates (bartenders, drug dealers, hustlers) who aren’t exactly sterling characters themselves (one friend told the National Enquirer — for $85,000 — that Cunanan fantasized about dressing Tom Cruise in full leather bondage and humiliating him, but later admitted being egged on by the tab to ”spice it up”). Even Cunanan’s best friends hardly knew him. He claimed to be, at various times, a Ph.D. candidate, the father of a little girl, an Army intelligence officer, and a Titanic producer.

(Orth does dispel the myth of Cunanan as stylish killer: At the time of his rampage, he’d gotten fat and pasty.) Meanwhile, unable to defend himself, Versace winds up suffering another fatal blow. Orth’s reporting dwells on the unsavory side of his flamboyant lifestyle. According to Vulgar Favors, the designer procured male prostitutes and used his gay celebrity to pluck beefcakey young men the way Van Halen collected groupies. Orth also reveals Versace’s HIV-positive status and the fact that company sales soared after his death, and she mentions a $20 million ”keyman” insurance policy with Lloyds of London. Most sensationally, she juggles a theory that Cunanan was hired to settle Versace’s alleged Mob ties. But do all these scandalous details change the fact that he was a victim? (Only if Cunanan, as Orth suggests, was one of Versace’s pickups.) Overall, Orth treats Versace with less respect than she does the other victims.

By the end of Vulgar Favors, as Cunanan rambles across the country toward his savage 15 minutes of fame, we’re left with a murder spree that simply doesn’t make sense. Orth offers a few inconclusive theories. Was it an AIDS revenge scenario (though a subsequent autopsy found Cunanan HIV-negative)? A mix of crystal meth and violent porn? We’ll never know. But Vulgar Favors stands as a fascinating, if ultimately unsatisfying, portrait of a serial killer. B Show Full Article Serial Killer Andrew Cunanan Homicide After a four- hour siege by a SWAT team , Andrew Cunanan, one of FBI's most wanted men in America, was found dead in the upstairs bedroom of a Miami Florida house boat eight days after the culimination of a killing spree that took that claimed the lives of five men, including Italian designer Gianni Versace. Identified by thumbprints the cause of his death was a self inflicted gun shot. The boat's caretaker told police he saw a stranger aboard and heard a shot fired. The house boat was located 2 1/2 miles north of Versace's mansion.

A mile from the hotel where Cunanan stayed for two months before the slaying. Andrew Phillip Cunanan was born on August 31, 1969 his father, in the Philippines, denies his son's homosexuality, saying he was "an altar boy" with a good Catholic upbringing. His mother referred to him as a "high-class homosexual prostitute." In high school he was openly gay. His friends said he was a toy for old, wealthy men. He graduated from The Bishop's School in La Jolla, California, in 1987. Acquaintances say Cunanan a was soft-spoken intellectual, fluent in several languages and well versed in world affairs. He was handsome, outgoing, lavish, and ostentatious. At parties he craved attention. He socialied with the elite though he had no money. Friends said he changed the last six months he was in San Diego. Some friends felt he had some sort of break down after being rejected by his lover and his best friend. His friends attended an extravagant going away party for him in April at California Cuisinewhen he said he was moving to San Francisco. He didn't go to San Francisco, though.

He bought a one-way ticket to Minneapolis, where he stayed with a former lover, David Madson, 33. He arranged a fling with an old friend, Jeffrey Trail. His friend Jeffrey Trail was his first murder in a three-month killing spree beginning April 27, 1997, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Trail's body, with his head bashed in, was found wrapped in a rug in Madson's loft on April 29th. The second victim, architect Jeff Madson, was killed May 2, 1997. His body, with a single shot to the head, was found four days later about 60 miles north of Minneapolis. Cunanan then drove to Chicago to kill Lee Miglin, 72, a real-estate developer, with a saw blade and pruning shears on May 4. The fourth victim, William Reese, 45, a cemetery caretaker, was killed for his car on May 9, 1997. Reese was killed by a single shot to the head with a .40-caliber Taurus. He hid in Miami Beach, Florida, for months before the fifth murder.

July 15, 1997, Andrew Cunanan a 27-year-old multi-murderer shot and killed Gianni Versace on his front steps in Miami Beach, Florida, U.S as he was returning home after a morning walk. According to Clint Van Zandt, a former FBI special agent: "Short of leaving his name signed on the pavement in front of Gianni's house, there's not much else he could do to say, 'Look at me. I'm the one that did this.'" In Los Angeles, police released a videotaped statement by Elizabeth Cote, a friend of Cunanan's: "These past few months, you have been portrayed as a horrible and despicable person. But I just want you to know that I remember and I know who you really are, and I love you unconditionally. The Andrew Cunanan I know is not a violent person. The Andrew Cunanan who is the godfather to my children is not a thief. The Andrew Cunanan I know is close to God and knows that whatever has happened, He will always forgive ... stop what you are doing ... contact an attorney or the police ...

" FBI warned two wealthy socialites, Harry de Wildt and oil heir Gordon Getty that they were mentioned by friends of Cunanan. de Wildt said. "It seems that Gordon and I are two of his biggest idols here in San Francisco. Apparently he admired our lifestyles, much like he admired Gianni Versace for his success. So there's a lunatic somewhere in the world, I'm not nervous." There was speculation that Cunanan's was HIV positive; but his autopsy found him HIV-negative. PETA vice president, Dan Matthews, actually praised Cunanan for murdering Versace in Genre magazine, with the sick statement, "he finally got Versace to stop using furs" At the time of his death, many believed the Italian fashion designer known for his daring fashions and glamorous lifestyle was at a peak. Born December 2, 1946, in Reggio Calabria, his mother was a dressmaker, and Gianni was raised watching her work on designs in her boutique.

After graduating from high school, Versace worked for a short time at his mother's shop before moving in 1972 to Milan, where he worked for several Italian ateliers, including Genny, Complice, Mario Valentino, and Callaghan. Backed by the Girombellis, an Italian fashion family, Versace established his own company, Gianni Versace SpA, in 1978 and staged his first ready-to-wear show under his own name that same year. His brother, Santo, served as CEO, and his sister, Donatella, was a designer and vice president. Versace designed throughout the 1980s and '90s and built a fashion empire by producing ensembles that oozed sensuality and sexuality. His most famous designs included sophisticated bondage gear, polyvinyl chloride baby-doll dresses, and silver-mesh togas. Versace's detractors considered his flashy designs vulgar.

Unfazed by such criticism, Versace staged his seasonal fashion shows like rock concerts at his lavish design headquarters in Milan, with groupies and paparazzi awaiting the arrival of both his celebrity friends, such as Elton John and Madonna, and his loyal models, such as Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, and Naomi Campbell, who were paid such high salaries that the press dubbed them “supermodels.” Versace was credited with turning the fashion world into the high-powered, celebrity-besotted industry it remains to the present day. As his success continued to grow, Versace began establishing boutiques throughout the United States with the help of his family. He also focused on publishing a series of coffee-table books that featured his sketches and photographs of his creations by esteemed photographers such as Richard Avedon , who also worked on Versace's advertising campaigns. Versace's interest in the new and daring continued to flourish, and in 1989 he designed a line of haute couture for the first time. Also in 1989 he created costumes for the San Francisco Opera; a great enthusiast of the opera and ballet, Versace explored costume design as a side interest throughout his career.

In 1993 Versace was diagnosed with a rare cancer of the inner ear. He battled this cancer successfully and then began to pass much of his business responsibilities onto his family. His company had expanded to produce clothing for men, women, and children, as well as handbags, precious jewelry, perfume, and items for the home. Versace's work was honoured by a posthumous retrospective held from December 1997 to March 1998 at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. After his death his sister took over as head designer for the Versace label. CNN - Andrew Cunanan's quiet life in Miami Beach - July 27, 1997 Andrew Cunanan's quiet life in Miami Beach Those whose path he crossed describe daily routine July 27, 1997 Web posted at: 9:57 p.m. EDT (0157 GMT) From Reporter Tom Watkins MIAMI BEACH, Florida (CNN) -- During the two months he hid out in Miami Beach, accused spree killer Andrew Cunanan established a quiet routine, according to those who crossed his path.

He ate fast food and stopped daily to buy cheap vodka that he drank out of a Styrofoam cup. He spent his days in a seaside hotel, venturing out at dark and staying out all night. He apparently did little to draw attention to himself -- or strike fear in those he met. "He was a very good guest," says Miriam Hernandez, the manager of the Normandy Hotel, where Cunanan lived for two months until the shooting of fashion designer Gianni Versace. "You felt good with him. He spoke sweetly. I was never afraid." "How can I be afraid of a person who is gentle, who treats me nice, who is educated?" Cunanan had fake ID, passport Through interviews with witnesses, CNN has been able to establish a portrait of the life lived by Cunanan, who was already wanted for four murders when he arrived in Miami Beach in May. He apparently had a false ID and fake passport. And after the slaying of Versace, he even revisited one of his local haunts, despite the intense manhunt then under way. Once a day, and sometimes twice, Cunanan would visit a liquor store a half-block from the hotel.

There, owner Pinchas "Pinky" Grossman would sell him a half-pint of McCormick-brand vodka for $2.44. Cunanan would pour its contents into a white plastic coffee cup, place a top on the cup and leave. "He had enough to worry about, I guess, without getting arrested for drinking (alcohol) on the street," Grossman said. According to Grossman, Cunanan returned to his liquor store six days after the Versace murder to get one last bottle of vodka. He poured it into a cup and threw the bottle into a trash can. Grossman said he believed at the time that this regular customer was the suspected killer, but he said he decided not to report it to police because it would interrupt his business. "It'd just cost me money," he said. But after Cunanan left for the last time, Grossman fished from the trash the bottle he left behind and has saved it, he said. Cunanan originally checked in for one night When Cunanan first checked into the Normandy, he used a false passport and driver's license for his identification, Hernandez said.

At the request of police, she would not say what name Cunanan used, nor would she say whether his passport was from the United States. But, she said, the phony ID appeared real. The 27-year-old had originally checked in for just one night, paying $35.73 in cash for Room 116, the smallest of the 65 rooms in the three-story hotel, Hernandez said. He was wearing shorts, a tube top and leather sandals. "He was a good-looking guy," said Hernandez. "He had a beautiful smile. He was handsome." The only luggage he brought was a dark-blue, medium-sized backpack. The absence of luggage didn't strike Hernandez as odd because he was only staying one night. But one night stretched into two months. After four nights in Room 116, Cunanan asked for a larger room, and he moved upstairs to Room 201. He told Hernandez he was looking for an apartment but was having trouble finding one he liked. Because she liked him, she gave him a monthly rate of $702, less than the nearly $800 the hotel usually charges.

After a week in 201, Cunanan asked whether a room with an ocean view was available. That day, Room 322, which has a refrigerator, a stove and a view of the ocean, opened up. "He loved the room," Hernandez said. Cunanan's routine varied little His routine varied little. At noon, Hernandez's brother, in charge of housekeeping, would knock on his door in order to enter the room and clean it. Invariably, Cunanan would respond through the closed door that nothing was needed. Once in a while, he put a bag of dirty towels on the outer doorknob and asked that they be replaced with fresh towels. On the few days when no one responded to his knock, the housekeeper entered to find the room immaculate. No personal effects were visible, Hernandez said her brother had told her. He always carried his backpack with him. Four or five days a week, he would buy lunch at Miami Subs, a fast-food restaurant a block north of the hotel. He would order a tuna sandwich or a quarter chicken, manager Jose Fabrize recalled. He was always polite.

"Never in my life would I have thought he was (a murderer)," Fabrize said. At dinner time, Cunanan would descend to the lobby, usually clean-shaven, though once in a while sporting two or three days' growth of beard. His wardrobe changed little: shorts and a T-shirt, sandals, a baseball cap. In the lobby, he always wore a hat and dark sunglasses. Once or twice, the hat was turned backwards. He would leave, returning shortly afterward with a bag of food from a nearby McDonald's or KFC or one of the other fast-food establishments that line the nearby streets. He took his dinner upstairs, speaking to no one. Shortly after 10 p.m., he would return to the lobby and depart. He often spent the entire night out, according to the night clerk, who must buzz in all visitors and guests at night. He had no visitors, the clerk said. Funeral home number circled in phone book He once asked the hotel for a Yellow Pages telephone directory and a new book was delivered. Several telephone numbers to area hospitals were written in blue ink. A telephone number for a funeral home was also circled.

Don Villalovas, 37, a boxing trainer who lives in the hotel with his girlfriend and their infant girl, recalled Cunanan's comings and goings. "He always looked like he was in a hurry. He'd walk quickly, like he had to get somewhere," Villalovas said. The lack of communication with others was his choice, according to Ronnie Holston, a 43-year-old retired florist who has lived in the hotel for a year. Holston said he was struck by Cunanan's red pickup truck, which was parked in front of the hotel and bore South Carolina plates. Holston, who is from North Carolina, asked him where he was from in South Carolina. "He just wouldn't say anything," Holston says. On a Thursday, five days before Italian designer Gianni Versace was gunned down outside his Miami Beach mansion, Cunanan told Hernandez that he had found the apartment he was looking for and would be moving out. "I said, 'I'm sorry you have to move. You've been very nice, and I enjoyed your stay and any time you're welcome back,'" she said. Cunanan was to switch back to his daily rate for the last day of his stay.

Hernandez called him at 11 a.m. Friday to tell him he owed for the extra day. "I'm tired today," he told her. "Can I pay tomorrow on my way out?" "I said, 'Sure, all right,'" Hernandez said. That was the last time they spoke. Saturday morning, the housekeeper found the door to room 322 ajar, the key on the table. Three days later, Versace was shot. Cunanan gave wrong room number on pawn ticket Police traced Cunanan to the hotel after they found a pawn shop ticket in the red pickup truck, which was found parked in a garage near Versace's mansion after his murder. Cunanan had signed his real name and given the address of the Normandy when he pawned a gold coin days before the Versace slaying. But he gave a room number, 205, where he never stayed. The room belonged to Holston. When police arrived, they found him, not Cunanan, in Room 205. Holston says he has no clue why Cunanan would have put his room number on the pawn ticket.

The revelation that their quiet guest was linked to five murders and was the subject of one of the country's biggest manhunts has left the people at the Normandy rattled, according to hotel owner James Roger Falin. During the days after police arrived at the hotel, Falin even kept a pistol in a drawer behind the desk. But last Friday night, two days after Cunanan killed himself on a houseboat, Falin returned the pistol to its usual spot in the hotel safe.

Question: Who was shot by Andrew Cunanan in July 1997?
Answer: GIANNI VERSACE